Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's learning on introducing the magical setting.

So today you will need your pen, and you will need your paper those two important pieces of equipment.

Take time please to make sure that you have closed down any tabs, any windows, any notifications, anything that might distract you from that perfect learning environment.

So when you've got your lovely quiet space, let's begin.

So before we introduce our magical setting, we need to remind ourselves of Ancient Athens in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the setting that we start off the play with so we can remember that the setting is severe, it's ordered, and it has harsh punishments.

So that's our understanding of Ancient Athens in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

And when it comes to rule and order in Ancient Athens, Theseus is the Duke of Athens.

So Theseus is in charge of Ancient Athens.

He is the voice of law, is his job, to speak the law to make sure that the law is carried out, and he maintains order in Athens he maintains order and control because he ensures that people follow the rules and therefore he has authority.

He has authority over the Athenians, the people living in Ancient Athens.

When it comes to our setting of Ancient Athens, our Elizabethans had certain expectations and they were called Elizabethans because they were the people living at the time when Queen Elizabeth the first was on the throne in 1558 to 1603.

And the well educated Elizabethans learned about Ancient Athens.

So, with the play being set in Ancient Athens they have certain expectations there are certain things that they expect to see within the setting of the play.

And they admired Ancient Athens, they admired it because it was seen as the birthplace of order, of philosophy, of the ways of thinking about the world.

So they know it as a place of order they expect strict rules, they expect harsh punishments, so when we see what happens to Hermia, her plea against her father Egeus and Theseus, that was common practise for Ancient Athens and the Elizabethans would be familiar with that concept that familiar with that idea and they would also expect men to be in charge, as was the case in Elizabethan society and that's called patriarchy.

So when men create the rules.

they enforce the rules and women have no power.

So all of these features would be really familiar for the Elizabethans, really familiar for them they would expect to see them in Ancient Athens.

But we are now going to introduce ourselves to a new setting the Magical Forest.

And the rules here are quite different to how they are in Ancient Athens.

So in terms of seeing that contrast, so let's look at these two settings as a comparison.

So Ancient Athens is ordered, its traditional, its severe there are rules, and men have the power, it's a patriarchal society.

However, let's look at the differences with the Magical Forest.

So the Magical Forest is disordered, it's chaotic, it's all a bit muddled and a bit confused.

It's mysterious, it's wild, and men and women have power.

Whereas in Ancient Athens, Theseus is in charge.

Egeus controls his daughter like an object like a possession because he's allowed to.

But in the Magical Forest men and women have power.

So let's test ourselves.

So which setting is ordered? Set your screen Excellent, Ancient Athens.

Let's try another one.

Which setting is chaotic? Set your screen please.

Exactly the Magical Forest.

Next one.

Which setting is traditional think? Exactly right Ancient Athens, well done.

Which setting has harsh punishments? Its Ancient Athens again, well done if you guess that correct.

Which setting is mysterious? Of course it's the Magical Forest.

And which setting allows men and women to have power? which one is not a patriarchal society? Excellent work, if you put the Magical Forest because Ancient Athens is the absolute opposite, isn't it? So to remind ourselves, who rules the setting of Ancient Athens, that's Theseus.

Who rules the setting of the Magical Forest you'll notice there are two names.

If you look in the image, you will see that there is a man and a woman.

So we have a male and a female who rule the Magical Forest.

We have Oberon and Titania, Oberon and Titania.

So we'll start off by looking at Oberon and Titania's argument.

So before we even meet Oberon and Titania, the fairies tell us that Oberon wants Titania to give him a boy who she has in her care.

So before we even physically meet the characters on the stage, the fairies from the Magical Forest tell us that they are already having an argument.

So they are already not really speaking to each other even though they are king and queen of the fairies.

So team Oberon says Titania stole a boy from an Indian King and is using him as a servant, that's his case, that's his argument.

But team Titania says Titania friend died, so she's raising the child for her friend.

So Oberon is accusing her of theft, is accusing her of using the boy as a servant when that's what he wants the boy for and Titania says, no, I didn't.

I, my friend died and I agreed to look after her child for her and raise him.

So two very opposing arguments at that point but there's no conclusion for Oberon and Titania anytime soon.

So let's look then how our characters our king and queen of the fairies are introduced to the plays the first time that we meet them.

So Oberon says: Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.

What jealous Oberon, fairies, skip hence, I have forsworn his bed and company, Tarry, rash wanton am not I thy Lord? So we can see, from this the relationship between Oberon and Titania, we can see that it's quite argumentative.

We can see that Titania certainly doesn't obey her King Oberon.

So Oberon starts off by saying ill met.

He's actually not happy about seeing her, he doesn't want to see it.

They've crossed paths in the Magical Forest and he is not pleased to see her even though she is supposed to be his queen.

And he accuses her of being proud you might be proud of achievements that you've had, you might have a certificate that you've received from school, you might be proud of different things that you've done the life you may be proud when you've learned to ride a bike, for example.

So being proud is often seen as a positive thing but what Oberon is doing here is he's labelling it as a negative trait he said it's a negative part of her character and perhaps therefore, he suggested that she's being quite stubborn, because remember, he wants the boy for himself.

So he's suggesting that she's too stubborn to give him up, which is what in his mind, she should do.

And she says, What, jealous Oberon and notice how she's being quite rude.

What, Jealous Oberon.

so there's a sense of of being quite rude and quite accused and she's accusing him of being jealous.

She's accusing him of being jealous because she's got the boy, he wants him and he can't have him.

And then she goes on to say I have forsworn his bed and company remember they are King and Queen they are husband and wife, therefore they should share the same bed, according to the rules of the society.

In theory, however, we're in the Magical Forest.

So Titania has decided that she will refuse his bed she won't sleep in the same bed has a husband and she's also refusing even his company, she's refusing to even be around him.

That's quite a powerful thing for a woman to do.

Certainly not something we would see in Ancient Athens at all.

And then Oberon actually goes on to insult her rash wanton, am not I thy Lord, and it's clear from that it's like, am I not your king? Am I not your Lord? Should you not be obeying me? So he really clearly has no power over his queen Titania has no power over her at all.

It's like I might not thy lord, you should be obey me, but she's not.

She's refusing to obey him.

She's refusing to be in the same bed with him and she's even refusing his company and accusing him of being very, very jealous as well.

So we can see that their relationship is quite a power struggle perhaps at this point, there's a bit of a battle of wills between them, and neither of them are willing to back down.

There's a sense of stubbornness isn't that both sides.

And because they are Oberon and Titania, they don't only argue about a boy, they don't actually not the boy alone, there's a lot more to the argument than that, that's just one little part of it so when we first are told about them, we think, oh, they're having an argument about a boy seems quite serious, but we get the impression 'cause that's not the only argument they have, that actually this is very common for their relationship.

So Titania says, but that forsooth the bouncing Amazon, your buskin'd mistress and your warrior love to Theseus must be wedded and you come to give their bed joy and prosperity.

So our clue is What is she talking about? And our clue particulars to Theseus must be wedded and if we remind ourselves who will be marrying Theseus, we hopefully may have an inkling of it being Hippolyta.

so Theseus the Duke of Athens is going to marry Hippolyta and Hippolyta he won at war, and he brought her back from his battle.

So when Titania says bouncing Amazon buskin'd mistress or your buskin'd mistress to be specific and your warrior love, she suggested that Hippolyta belongs to Oberon.

She's actually accusing him of being in love with Hippolyta.

She's accusing him of being unfaithful to her.

So they're not only arguing about a boy that he wants that she has, but that also she's accusing him of being unfaithful and being in love with Hippolyta.

Let's look over onto response then so Oberon then says, how canst thou thus, for shame, Titania glance at my credit with Hippolyta knowing I know thy love to Theseus? So how can you say that when I know you're in love with Theseus, so Titania just accused Oberon of being in love with the Hippolyta.

So Oberon there therefore accuses her of being in love with Theseus.

So they've both just accused each other of being unfaithful.

So not only has Titania refused to share the same bed or company even with her husband, and refused to give him the boy that he wants for himself and he's asked her for it, ask her for the boy.

But now they are accusing each other of being unfaithful as well.

So let's pause then and have a recap on some of the information that we've just looked at.

So what did the fairies tell us that Oberon and Titania are arguing about? So be careful with this first question.

So I'll talk you through them first and then we can pause and you can have a go at writing your full sentence answers.

So what did the fairies tell us that Oberon and Titania are argued about? So makes you thinking about the fairies? This is the first argument that they have between them, before we even meet them.

Number two, what is Oberon arguments? So if you're on team Oberon, what do you think Titania has done? And number three, what is Titania's argument What is her defence? What does she say in her opinion has happened? Number four, what else does Titania accuse Oberon off? Thinking about our characters from Ancient Athens as a clue there.

And number five, what does Oberon then accuse Titania of? So I'd like you to pause your video for me please and answer those questions in full sentences.

Be very careful about your character spelling's and don't forget that he is missing in arguing and argument.

Off you go, please All right, excellent work.

Well, let's have a look then at some of the ideas we could have put in our answers.

So number one, the fairies tell us that Oberon and Titania are arguing about a boy.

So that's that first argument.

So well done if you remembered and got those the right way round as well.

Number two, Oberon's argument is that Titania has stolen him and you might have added even more detail there but stolen the boy from an Indian King.

Number three to Titania's argument is that she's looking after him because his mother died.

She says she's doing something for her friend you might have added that in as well as an extra.

Number four Titania accuses Oberon of loving Hippolyta.

Be careful the spelling on Hippolyta there with that white.

And number five Oberon then accuses Titania of loving Theseus.

So they accuse each other of loving the Duke of Athens and the soon to be Duchess of Athens as well.

So well done if you've got those five answers correct, excellent memory.

So let's have a think that about Oberon and Titania his relationship.

So there has to be an element of love there doesn't there? Even though there's lots of other things going on, there has to be an element of love because they are still together.

They are still king and queen of the fairies, so there has to be some love between them.

But there seems to be a lack of trust.

They've both accused each other have been unfaithful towards Theseus and Hippolyta, there has to be a lack of trust in their relationship for them to accuse the other person in such a way.

There's certainly a power struggle with Titania accusing Oberon of being jealous and Oberon wanting the boy for himself and Titania won't give the boy up, so there's that power struggle, which we wouldn't see in Ancient Athens because remember Ancient Athens follows the rules of patriarchy.

So, in Ancient Athens Titania would be expected to obey, obey Oberon all times.

And we certainly cannot deny that their relationship is argumentative, because they have an argument before they even come on the stage and when they are on the stage and are seen by the audience for the first time, then they have another argument.

So they argue about a boy and then they argue about being unfaithful as well.

So let's have a think about what this Magical Forest is then like from what we've seen so far.

So we can remind ourselves that it certainly contrasts with Ancient Athens ordered, disordered, rules, chaotic, those are some of those key words that we had earlier in the lesson.

The Magical Forest does not follow the rules of patriarch, and we've seen that with the interaction between Oberon and Titania, that there's certainly a battle of wills of power struggle, a stubbornness between those two characters.

And there's this sense of it being chaotic, if we think to Ancient Athens and Theseus, having his control, and his order, his authority that he has the easiest goes to him to resolve the conflict that he has with his daughter Hermia.

Whereas in the Magical Forest, the king and queen that are in charge are arguing and not even spending time together and communicating.

So how can.

How is it possible for the Magical Forest to be run in an orderly way? It's certainly going to be chaotic.

And it's disordered.

There's lots of different things going on, there's not that King and Queen that are stable in charge of the Magical Forest because they're spending more time arguing, accusing each other of things they have or haven't done.

So let's bring in a new term then revenge.

You can see by the image on your screen a suggestion of what revenge might be.

So the definition, the act of doing something to hurt someone because they have hurt you.

So that idea of getting back at somebody the act of doing something to hurt someone because they have hurt you.

So let's apply this to the play then.

So Oberon wants revenge on Titania, because she won't give him the boy.

So be really careful here.

Yes, they've argued Yes, she's embarrassed him in front of the fairies, as well.

But the main reason that Oberon wants revenge on Titania is because she won't give him the boy he wants to get back her for it.

Because she's not giving him what he wants she's refusing to give him what he wants, and he feels he should be entitled to it.

So why does Oberon want revenge on Titania? Is it Titania was rude to him.

Titania loves Theseus.

He wants the boy for himself.

Or Titania said that he loves Hippolyta.

Have a quick think.

Excellent work if you decided on option three, because remember I said option one was a little bit of a trick there because he was annoyed that she was rude to him and that she embarrassed him.

But the main reason he wanted he wants revenge on Titania is because he wants the boy for himself.

So we're going to look now Oberon's plan his plan for revenge and this image shows us and demonstrates this plan that he has.

So you will see there's an arrow shot straight through a flower, and it's this flower that has become magical that's going to allow a potion to be created, and therefore cast a spell almost upon Titania.

So let's have a look what Oberon's says, He says, yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell, it fell upon a little Western flower before milk-white, now purple with loves wound, and maidens call it love-in-idleness.

So Oberon, for his revenge has recalled a memory of where the bolt of Cupid remember our little chat with the arrow, the arrow of love so that arrow shot the idea that you don't fall in love and Oberon is remembered that one of Cupid's arrows fell into a particular flower, a particular one not just flowers generally, but a little Western flower and then we're left with this image that he tells us before milk-white.

Now purple with love's wound.

we're going to look at that quotation a little bit more depth and what that might suggest about this arrow of Cupid remember this idea of the arrow falls and then if you're hit by Cupid's arrow then you fall in love.

So let's look at analysing imagery then so we're taking our quotation out of our extract before milk-white, now purple with loves wound.

So lets think about our first phrase before milk-white.

So there's a suggestion of it being innocent or innocence, so this flower started off being innocent, the idea of the colour white symbolises innocence.

So be careful notice I'm moving between innocent and innocence so you need to be really careful when you use those words in your own piece of writing.

We can also suggest the idea of being quite childlike and we associate that with being innocent that a child doesn't understand all the bad things that happen in the world.

And this idea of being milk-white, particularly the idea of feeding milk to a child and this idea of pure, white also suggests a sense of purity which we associate with a child which we associate with the idea of innocence.

So before this flower is hit with the bolt the arrow of love it's actually quite innocence I think what that saying about this idea of love, how love changes things how love makes us less innocent.

Lets next part of this quotation purple with love's wound.

So purple the idea of an a wound suggests perhaps a bruise, a sense of suffering a sense of pain perhaps the perhaps the idea that love causes pain, love causes a bruise.

And you think when you bruise your skin bruises are not something that disappear straightaway they normally start off almost kind of a blackish purple when they're really severe and then they normally turn into that lovely rainbow kind of greeny yellow shade that they turn into when they're healing.

But when they start off, they start off quite purple and blackish quite an angry looking and they take a while to heal.

So this suggestion that when we're hurt by love, actually, it takes a long time for it to heal.

We don't get over that pain of love very quickly so before we're in love with this innocent childlike kind of purity.

and then once we're hit with love's wound, it's like an injury.

It's something that causes pain and suffering.

So although love can be a beautiful, innocent thing, actually it can cause a spruces, pain and injury it can be something that's quite hard as well.

And we can think of this image we probably and thinking back perhaps to Helena, when we looked at Helena in lesson number six, and about how she is suffering from love, because she is suffering from unrequited love, one sided love and we can think of that idea the pain that she's going through, as a result of being hit by the bolt of Cupid, so to speak, when Demetrius professed his love for her and won her soul so she know dotes upon him.

So let's look at an opening for our paragraph with our analysis.

So Shakespeare presents Oberon as a character who seeks revenge.

Notice I've used that key word really useful to get in yours on his queen because she will not give him what he wants.

He describes the flower which he needs for his plan as before milk-white, now purple with loves wound.

This implies that before Cupid's arrow hits the flower dot, dot, dot And that's your then your opportunity to explain those images that we've just looked at.

We've just looked at the idea of innocent, childlike and pure as well.

And then when you come on to that second part of the quotation, purple with loves wound the idea of a bruise, pain or injury so you can talk about the impact of love and what love can do to us as well.

So I'd like you to pause your video please and have a go at writing your own analytical paragraph about that key quotation.

Off you go please.

Excellent work, I'm sure you've got some lovely paragraphs written so well done.

So let's look a little bit more than a Oberon's revenge.

So he says, fetch me that flower, the herb I showed thee once the juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid will make man or woman madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees.

Fetch me this herb and be thou here again Ere the Leviathan can swim a league.

So you notice that section that's involved in blue is actually one big sentence.

So that's why it takes a big breath.

Sometimes when you read in Shakespeare you have been ready for it.

So this speech is being spoken to Puck.

Puck is Oberon's servant is a little bit mischievous.

So he's asking Puck to get this particular flower that he's already showed him in the past so Puck should know what he's looking for this particular one that's had Cupid's bolt and shot to it, so it's got this special power and look what he's going to do with it.

He says, the juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid so if you put the juice of it on someone who's asleep, the next live creature, notice it doesn't say man or woman, it's says creatures so it could even be an animal that the man or woman who's had this potion dropped on their sleeping eyelids will madly dote, will madly dote.

So as soon as that person wakes up the first creature that they see, they will fall in love with them and not just a little bit of love, but madly dote they will be entirely consumed by the love that they have for the first live creature that they see and Theseus plan for to Titania.

So he wants Puck to go and collect this flower, because he says this is the power that it has, it will make someone madly dote.

So therefore there's a suggestion that he wants to humiliate Titania.

He wants to humiliate her.

He wants to make her look silly.

He wants to embarrass her, because she won't give him the boy and she's refused to share his bed or share his company as well.

You might also recognise that idea of dote in terms of love to Helen his character for when we looked at Helena in lesson six, that she dotes upon Demetrius.

We talked about it in lesson six, where Helena just absolutely loves Demetrius and Demetrius could do absolutely anything but she still loves them.

She dotes upon him, she worships Him, He's the only opinion that she thinks actually matters.

And what we'll notice with A Midsummer Night's Dream, is we'll see some links from the storylines that are happening in the Magical Forest that are done in a funnier way, but still a similar storyline to what happens in Ancient Athens.

So let's look next at Oberon's Monologue then let's look at what he goes on to say so he says; Having once this juice I'll watch Titania when she's asleep and drop the liquor of it in her eyes.

The next thing then she waking looks upon be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, on meddling monkey or on busy ape, she shall pursue it with the soul of love.

So he says once he's got this juice from this flower, this potion is love potion that he needs.

He'll watch her and watch his queen when she's asleep, and he'll drop it onto her sleeping eyelids, and then when she wakes and looks upon and notice what he lists, he doesn't say looks upon a human.

Again, he emphasises the idea of an animal lion, Bear, Wolf, Bull, monkey, an ape.

And again, there's very much a sense that he wants to humiliate her, that he wants her to fall in love with an animal to just make her look silly for people to laugh at her.

And he also then talks about how she shall pursue it with the soul of love.

So this tells us how Powerful this love potion actually is that the soul of love, she won't just love.

Whatever she looks upon when she first wake up a little bit, she will be completely consumed by it.

She will be utterly obsessed she won't feel anything apart from the love that she has for the first thing that she looks upon.

So this is an incredibly powerful love potion he is willing to put on his queen Titania.

Then he goes on to say, and ere I take this charm from off her site as I can take it with another herb.

I'll make her render up her page to me.

So he says I'll take this charm and from her sight as I came with another herb so he has the power he has more than one potion that he can use against Titania.

And he says, I'll make her render up her page to me and the page is the boy.

So all of this plan is humiliation is all coming back to the fact he wants revenge on his queen because she won't let him have the boy that he wants for himself.

So that's his ultimate aim, his ultimate aim is to get that boy.

So let's have a look at some questions.

We're going to talk through these together before you have an opportunity to write because we're going to see if we can recall some key quotations but we'll practise them together first.

So question one, where will the love potion be placed? S-E.

If you know the answer, say it to your screen now.

Excellent if you said sleeping eyelids.

So remember it goes on sleeping eyelids, because then the person that they are live creature as Oberon says when they wake up is the person, or thing, or animal they will fall in love with the next live creature.

Number two, what will happen when she awakens? so went Titania awakens what will happen M-D, and our D word is the word that we associated with Helen's character say it to your screen now.

Really well done if you said madly dotes, madly dotes, you'll be completely consumed by this idea of this creature that she sees for the first time.

And number three, how shall Titania pursue it? S-O-L with the something of something, if you know it say it to your screen now.

Excellent work.

If you said soul of love, she'll be completely consumed and even her soul will be taken over.

Not just on the surface, but even her soul.

And number four, you get no clue for this one.

What does Oberon ultimately what from Titania? What does he want from her ultimately, the main thing he wants revenge on her for.

So when you're ready, pause your video please and have a go at writing out those four answers.

But really try and get those key quotations in remember number one sleeping eyelids, number two madly dotes, and number three soul of love.

Off you go, please.

So let's have a look then at your possible answers.

So number one, the love potion we placed on to Titania's sleeping eyelids.

Excellent work if you've got that quotation into your answer.

Number two, when she awakens she will madly dote on the next living creature she sees.

Excellent if you've put madly dote.

Number three or third quotation Titania will pursue it with the soul of love.

Well done if you've remembered that key phrase and ultimately Oberon's wants the boy from Titania, and that's what we have to keep reminding ourselves.

So we've covered a lot of information today.

So please make sure you take your quiz and show that you can get 100% from your learning achievements today.

That brings us to the end of today's learning on introducing the magical setting.

So well done on your learning achievements today.

Really, really pleased you should really, really be proud of yourselves.

So thank you very much.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your learning.